Britain routing Malawi aid through non-direct budgetary channels

Britain continued to support Malawi with aid though not routing that support through the Government but continues with a large programme of support to reduce poverty and assist poor people across the country through other channels with MK47 billon injected.

Britain High Commissioner Nevi speaking to reporters at Sanjika Palace after meeting with President Mutharika

The British High Commissioner to Malawi, Michael Nevin said London did not want the poorest people to suffer further as a result of “cashgate” that triggered withdraw of budgetary support, saying the aid is being injected through non-government systems to continue supporting Malawi’s social and development sectors, among them, education and health.

He said UK would provide about $100 million (around K42 billion) through non-direct budgetary channels.

Nevin told reporters after the two-hour meeting with Malawi President Peter Mutharika at Sanjika palace on Monday.

Britain will resume budgetary support to Malawi government but has given conditions that Lilongwe should conduct public sector and public finance management reforms, pursuing Cashgate suspects, guaranteeing the independence of the criminal justice system, changes of leadership of some oversight and accountability institutions and providing more resources to them.

“So far, we are pleased with the public service reforms that the President has initiated. We are also happy with the work that the Minister of Finance is doing to clean up the public finance management systems. We wish to see this work completed,” said Nevin.

During a debate in the British parliamentary upper chamber, the House of Lords, on October 23 2014, Department for International Development (DFID) spokesman in the House, Baroness Northover said UK support TO Malawi creates educational opportunities for girls and boys, supplies life-saving drugs to the health sector, tackles under nutrition in young children and in people living with HIV, and provides vital inputs to farmers.

“We are delivering significant demonstrable results for poor people. Since 2011, the United Kingdom has helped more than 350,000 women to access family planning services. By 2015, more than 400,000 women will have improved access to security and justice. By 2016, we will have ensured that 750,000 more people have access to safe, clean water. Our support enabled 5.2 million people to vote in recent general and local elections,” reads Northover’s contribution as recorded in the Hansard of that day.

She said the results are underpinned by important transformational changes: governance reforms, health systems improvement, transparency and accountability for citizens, and girls’ and women’s empowerment.

“We enable households and communities across Malawi to build resilience to climate change and chronic food insecurity. However, we are well aware of the need… for people to have jobs. That is vital,” the Hansard quotes Northover as saying.

Malawi is running a zero-aid financial plan and Nevin said London is prepared to help Lilongwe to emerge from aid dependency to self-sustenance.

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Depending on donors has made our leaders dull.They can’t think of ways how our country can develop.Look,we have our beautiful lake with fresh waters but taps are always dry.Believe me munthu akasiya kuthandizidwa nzeru zimabweramo then we shall see Malawi developing.

I wrote an article recently on Cashgate and International Aid and predicted that British aid will now go entirely into NGOs in Malawi and will be even more difficult to control fom London than when it went to government ministries in Lilongwe. That is what is now happening. Until DFID does the actual work on the ground in Malawi ( which it cannot do) and delivers aid directly to poor families, there will always be huge leakages into the pockets of the rich and powerful. No-one in Malawi or in Britain will ever believe the obvious fact that —- AID… Read more »

My free advice to APM, the development partners are able to see very far. They cant be cheated. They know that the cashgate’s effective year is 2005. They do not think you are serious when you talk of cashgate only with effect from 2012. They also watch all your moves and style of how you are also helping yourself from government coffers. They watch your Attorney General’s lack of seriousness in cases in which your home Lomwes claim and awarded billions of Kwachas. How on this earth could an unsuccessful bidder be awarded for failing to clinch the deal? How… Read more »

The British can go to hell with their aid. Malawi’s friend indeed China will continue providing aid; building beautiful roads, beautiful universities; magnificent national stadiums; parliament building; five star hotels and University of Mombera in Mzimba etc. Can you ask the British to name one thing they have done in Malawi and they will not point at anything. Shame on Britain

Britain has been pouring aid into Malawi for 50 years since Independence. Prior to that when Malawi was the Nyasaland Protectorate Britain stopped the slave trade in Malawi. The British also established the civil service, the postal service, the education service, and a health service (hospitals, clinics, etc.). They also built roads and a railway to the coast and put passenger boats on the Lake. They established a police service, a judiciary and an army. Where would Malawi be without the British? Sanya Ngumbi you are talking through your hat. Please don’t show everyone your ignorance.

The usual nonsense from International Aid agencies in Malawi like DFID !! The essence of it is that we (DFID) have been doing the Malawian government’s own job (in Health, Education etc) and if we are not allowed to continue doing that job then Malawians will have no Health or Education. Do we really believe that the ex-colonial power in Malawi is the only one which can rule Malawi, fifty years after independence?? Do we really believe that the money Britain saves the Malawian government from spending to do its own job will go to good causes in Malawi ??… Read more »